Topic Four (0.4): How to Write an Effective Analysis for Paper 3: Interpretations Question

Introduction

The focus of Paper 3 is to examine your ability to deal effectively with historiography, and to use your understanding to analyse the approach of a particular piece of commentary on the Holocaust.

You will be asked to comment on the approach of a historian, based on a passage where he explains his view on the Holocaust.

Top Tips

• Remember to spend time reading the passage to gain a sense of its overall meaning. Don’t jump in and identify the ‘Big Message’ based on what you see at the start – frequently the historian suggests an approach, only to refute it later in the extract. It’s really important that you base your analysis on the overall message, rather than taking parts out of context.
• Clarity is always crucial. State the main message unambiguously in your first sentence. Is one side or both being blamed by the writer? Explain why, looking at first one side then the other. Take care to follow through consistently.
• You need to pick out the justifications the historian gives, to contextualise, rather than providing your own.
• Then develop a couple of sub-messages. State these at the start of a new paragraph and explain the author's argument for each. This fulfils the requirement in the mark scheme that you ‘Demonstrate a complete understanding of the interpretation and of the approach(es) used by the historian in reaching this interpretation.’
• It’s not advisable to make any judgements (positive or negative) of the view put forward, or to give alternative hypotheses. You have been asked to write what this particular approach is, not to criticise it.
• Keep your comparison with other views for the penultimate paragraph, but only to place within historiography, e.g. 'We can tell this view is a post-revisionist approach because the historian sees both sides as bearing some responsibility. This was the view put forward by academics such as...'.
• You will find more detail about how to construct effective answers in the following document:

READ – Dos and Don’ts for Paper 3 Download READ – Dos and Don’ts for Paper 3

Tasks

• Read this brief extract from an investigation into the teaching of the Holocaust in British schools:

READ – Extract from an Investigation into the Teaching of the Holocaust in British Schools Download READ – Extract from an Investigation into the Teaching of the Holocaust in British Schools

• Identify the author’s main message and how he supports it with examples.
• Can you also spot any sub-messages?
• Now check the following guide:

CHECK – Topic 0.4 Answer Sheet Download CHECK – Topic 0.4 Answer Sheet